Imola: ELMS Facts and Figures

Here are some facts and figures from the previous six races.

1. The 2024 4 Hours of Imola was won by Panis Racing, with Charles Milesi, Manuel Maldonado and Arthur Leclerc finishing 11.3 seconds ahead of AO by TF and Vector Sport.
2. The outright LMP2 lap record was set by Charles Milesi during qualifying on 06 July 2024, lapping the circuit in 1m30.829 (194.6kph), 1.44 seconds inside the previous best lap.
3. The current race lap record for LMP2 is 1m31.757 (188.6 kph) set by Arthur Leclerc during the 2024 4 Hours of Imola (7 July).
4. The current LMP3 race lap record is 1m39.256 (178 kph) set by Malthe Jakobsen on the 15 May 2022. Jakobsen also holds the outright LMP3 record of 1m37.182 (181.8kph) set on the 14 May.
5. The LMGT3 race lap record was set by Julien Andlauer – 1m42.689 (172.1kph), while the outright LMGT3 lap record is held by Daniel Serra with a 1m42.386 (172.6kph) set on the 5 July 2024.
6. The LMGT3 podium in 2024 was filled by Porsche, Aston Martin and Lamborghini, the first time a Ferrari hadn’t finished in the top 3 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
7. Ferrari have taken 11 of the 15 LMGTE podium places, including podium lockouts in 2013 and 2014.
8. Ferrari has won three of the six races at Imola (RAM Racing 2013, SMP Racing 2014 and AT Racing 2015), with Porsche winning twice with Proton Competition in 2016 and Iron Dames in 2024, with Aston Martin taking the top spot in 2022 with Oman Racing by TF.
9. TDS Racing have won the ELMS race in Imola three times (2013, 2015 and 2016) with Pierre Thiriet winning three times with TDS Racing.Mathias Beche, who is currently racing the no29 TDS Racing Oreca-Gibson, won in 2013 and 2016 and finishing third in LMP2 Pro/Am in 2024.
10. The first time the LMP3 class raced at Imola, the University of Bolton Ginetta-Nissan scored the first category win in Italy, with Rob Garofall and Morten Dons standing on the top step of the podium.
11. United Autosports have won the LMP3 category at Imola twice in 2016 and in 2022, with Italian team Eurointernational taking a home win in 2024.
12. Ginetta took all three LMP3 podium places in 2015, while Ligier took a clean sweep in 2016, 2022 and 2024.
13. Racing Team Turkey recorded the first LMP2 Pro/Am win at Imola, with Algarve Pro Racing winning the category in 2024 with Kriton Lentoudis, Richard Bradley and Alex Quinn.
14. The longest race distance recorded was in the 2014 4 Hours of Imola when the winning no38 Jota Sport Zytek completed 139 laps or 682.35km.
15. In 2024 the race distance was 133 laps (652.89km), in 2022 the race distance was 127 laps (623.44 km) 2015 the race distance was 138 laps (677.44km) and in 2016 it was 121 laps (593.99km). The 2013 race was three hours in duration and the winners covered 108 laps (530.17km).

Previous ELMS winners taking part in the 2025 4 Hours of Imola

1. Mathias Beche - no29 TDS Racing - 2013/2016 - LMP2
2. Paul Loup Chatin - no28 IDEC Sport - 2013 - LMPC
3. Filipe Albuquerque - no24 Nielsen Racing - 2014 - LMP2
4. Matt Griffin - no55 Spirit of Race - 2013 - LMGTE
5. Ferdinand Habsburg - no24 Nielsen Racing - 2022 - LMP2
6. Louis Deletraz - no99 AO by TF - 2022 - LMP2
7. Charlie Eastwood - no82 TF Sport - 2022 - LMP2 Pro/Am
8. Charles Milesi - no65 VDS Panis Racing - 2024 - LMP2
9. Kriton Lentoudis - no20 Algarve Pro Racing - 2024 - LMP2 Pro/Am
10. Alex Quinn - no20 Algarve Pro Racing - 2024 - LMP2 Pro/Am
11. Sarah Bovy - no85 Iron Dames - 2024 - LMGT3
12. Michelle Gatting - no85 Iron Dames - 2024 - LMGT3

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari

The circuit is in an area with long associations with speed – as far back as 80BC the Romans created an amphitheatre for gladiatorial chariot racing.

In the late 1940s plans for a new circuit found approval and a series of connecting roads were created to form an anti-clockwise loop. The first foundation stone was laid in March 1950, with Enzo Ferrari himself present.

Initially named after the Santerno River which borders it on the paddock side, the circuit was renamed Autodromo Dino Ferrari in 1970 after Enzo Ferrari's son, who had died of leukaemia in 1956. Enzo Ferrari's own name was added following his death in 1988.

The first racing events were held in April 1953, with the GP Coni motorcycle race which was approved for the 125cc and 500cc Italian championship. The following year the first car races arrived in the form of the Coppa d'Oro Shell ('Golden Shell' race), which was open only to sports cars and would see Ferrari and Maserati compete for victory.

In 1980, the Italian Grand Prix was awarded to Imola following a dispute with organisers at the Monza circuit. From 1981, Imola was granted a race alongside Monza under the guise of the nearby Republic of San Marino, an event it would host for the next quarter century.

In 2011 top class sportscars returned to Imola with the Six Hours of Imola, which was part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the predecessor of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The FIA WEC staged it first event at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in April 2024.

In 2013 the European Le Mans Series staged its first race at Imola, with the 3 Hours of Imola. In 2014 the race duration was increased to four hours, with races held at Imola until 2016. The Italian round was held at Monza from 2017 until 2021, with Imola becoming the host venue again in 2022.

CLICK HERE for the entry list for the 2025 4 Hours of Imola on 4-6 July.